Dacia Ducks Out of Dakar Defense

Dacia ducks out of Dakar defense as parent company, the Renault Group pulls the plug on the World Rally Raid Championship (W2RC). This news, which has been kept rather quiet, comes off the back of the announcement that Alpine will leave the World Endurance Championship (WEC). Alpine has confirmed that it will continue its Formula One ambitions.

Follow Double Apex on Instagram and Facebook where we share more car content.

Dacia concludes its engagement in the World Rally Raid Championship (W2RC) at the end of the 2026 season (after Abu Dhabi challenge Nov 22-27). Launched in 2024, the program has achieved its first major objectives, notably by winning the Dakar in 2026, a landmark victory that validates the team’s commitment and technical choices. Building on these achievements, Dacia is now capitalising on the valuable experience and developments gained through the project and will shift its focus back towards strengthening its core business expertise after 2026 season.
Sponsored

Victim of Success

Renault, Alpine and Dacia are all part of the larger Renault Group. The company has been competing in F1, WEC and W2RC. Dacia was on a three-year program to achieve the ultimate goal in rally raid racing. That effort yielded results in year two, a victory for Nasser Al-Attiyah, which led the French firm to pull the plug a year early.

Dacia will see out the remainder of the 2026 W2RC season with three cars competing at each round but it will not return to competition next year. Best case, the team walks away as 2026 W2RC champions and the Dakar Rally victory. Audi pulled a similar move when it departed after taking overall victory at the Dakar Rally.

Looking for Work

Of course, the departure of Dacia means that Nasser Al-Attiyah, Sebastien Loeb, Lucas Moraes and Cristina Gutierrez will all be looking for a new team to race for. Al-Attiyah is a six-time Dakar winner. Loeb’s racing resume is well known. Lucas Moraes is 2025 W2RC champ. Toyota Gazoo Racing and Ford are the only factory teams left competing in the Ultimate T1+ category. However, both squads already have experienced racers in their employ. As a result, the existing Dacia racers may have a tough time landing seats in front-running teams.